Second Cry
by Katkid
Summary: sequel to Armageddon They thought it was over, but in reality their problems were only just beginning....
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Prologue

_It's been a year since the incident with Kitami and a lot has changed for the former Digidestined._

_ _

_Koushiro came through with the highest marks in his class on his exam and has nearly completed a second successful year of college._

_ _

_Daisuke, Takeru, Miyako and Hikari have all gone off to college themselves._

_ _

_Iori has become the national kendo champion through his hard work and practice. _

_ _

_Jyou continued in his job of a surgeon and goes every day with a renewed sense of love for life._

_ _

_Mimi reconstructed her home and keeps in touch with all of her friends on a more consistent basis._

_ _

_Taichi and Sora were married and live happily together as husband and wife._

_ _

_Finally, Yamato not only attended Sora and Taichi's wedding, he was the best man._

_ _

_Tonight Yamato lies in bed remembering all that happened exactly one year ago._

_ _

_The large, shining eyes of the small six-year-old still haunt him whenever he closes his eyes. _

_ _

_He regrets the outcome of the events deeply, whishing Kitami could have been saved, as she had been so young and innocent._

_ _

_He shudders, remembering that exactly 365 nights ago was the night he had been awakened by the blood--HIS blood--dripping onto him, blending with his blonde hair to paint it with a reddish tint._

_ _

_That was one thing he had been wondering about…How had his own blood appeared on his ceiling?In fact, how had his other friends received the warnings?_

_ _

_Yamato pondered these points, turning them over in his mind for the millionth time in the past year.But of course he could think of no plausible answer._

_ _

_As he remembers the occurrence, a black fog creeps into his mind, fogging his train of thought._

_ _

_For a moment he does not realize what has happened.Then he feels cold, his mind numbing, his consciousness fading._

_ _

_His eyes widen in fear of what is happening, not knowing what is causing the feeling in his mind._

_ _

_He cannot speak as the darkness invades his sight.His mind is cold and he feels something pulling inside of him, pulling away from the room, away from reality._

_ _

_Yamato convulses violently, then goes limp, eyes gliding closed, darkness overwhelming him…_


	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 1

"Yamato, it's Mimi.Where are you?We were going to have lunch with Taichi and Sora but you never showed up.Call me later, OK?'Bye."

Mimi put down the receiver of the pay phone outside the restaurant.It had been a long time since she had last seen Yamato in comparison to her other friends.

She had seen almost all her other friends some time in the past week--last weekend Koushiro had even come back to visit everyone from college and they had gone to a movie together.But she hadn't seen Yamato in almost a month.

So she'd called him up and they planned to have lunch together along with Taichi and Sora.But then he never showed up.

_I wonder what happened? _Mimi thought._Did he just forget?But that's not like him.Strange.Why wouldn't he call?After we made the reservations and everything he just doesn't show up.That's odd.Oh well.I guess I'll wait for him to call._

~*~

"How can you find anything in that?" Takeru inquired of Daisuke.

The two had been put into the same dorm room and Takeru sat on his nicely made bed looking at Daisuke's half of the room disdainfully.

"Hey, I know where everything is."

"Sure," Takeru replied.His side of the room was clean and orderly making Daisuke's side look even worse."All right then, find your suitcase."

"No problem.Under the bed," Daisuke nonchalantly stated.He started toward the bed only to realize that piles of books, clothes and papers blocked the bed."Uh…"

"Thought so.Now are you going to clean it up?"

"I was getting to that," Daisuke mumbled, getting onto his knees and scooping up a couple of textbooks.

A knock sounded on the door and Takeru answered it.

"Hi, Hikari, hi, Miyako," Takeru greeted.

"Hikari?" Daisuke exclaimed, jumping to his feet and racing over to the door.Though he forgot the fact that he was holding a zip-lock bag containing a three-month old sandwich in his hand.

"Hello, Takeru," Hikari answered."Daisuke, why do you have a moldy sandwich?"

Daisuke looked at the zip-lock bag and quickly tossed it into the garbage can before hastily stating: "cleaning."

"O…K…" Hikari muttered."I thought we were going back to Odaiba for the weekend, but if you're busy we can go on our own."

"I'm not busy," Takeru said.

"Neither am I," Daisuke added."Just let me get my suitcase--" he trailed off realizing his suitcase was the whole reason he had started cleaning in the first place."Just a sec."

He ran back over to his bed and dug through the mess before returning victorious with his suitcase.

~*~

Iori walked into the graveyard holding a small bunch of flowers in his hand.Once everything had settled down after the alarming events that took place last year, he and along with his friends had gotten a grave for Kitami.

He felt very regretful of the six-year-old's death, so he'd brought flowers to place on the grave.

Eventually he found the gray headstone, engraved with Kitami's name, date of birth and date of death.

Placing the bright flowers on the grave, he realized how out of place the reds and yellows looked in the gray cemetery. 

He looked again at the headstone and saw a quote below the dates.It was then he remembered each headstone in this cemetery had a quote carved onto it as well.

_If at first you don't succeed, try, try again._

For a moment Iori felt chills run down his back and arms, but he quickly shook it off and walked away.

~*~

_Where am I?I--I heard Mimi just a second ago.But I can't see her.I can't see anything.What happened?_

_ _

Don't you remember Yamato?What happened one year ago?You do.Yes, you do…

_Who was that?Hello?Who are you?What's going on?_

_ _

__All shall reveal itself in due time.

Yamato wanted so badly to know what was happening to him, but the more he wondered the thicker the black fog became, clouding his thoughts and ideas.

He was…somewhere.But where he had no idea.It was dark.That much he knew for sure.And the fog was always getting thicker or receding--almost as though it was alive.

_Whatever you are-----leave me alone!_

The fog drastically got thicker and for a moment he felt cold seeping through him, but then the cold was gone, though the fog remained thick.

_What is this?Hello?Is anybody here?_

_ _

__But he was met with silence…


	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 2

Jyou turned a corner driving home from work through traffic.

He wanted to get home to stretch out and relax after the day he had had, but the traffic was unusually heavy.

After nearly twenty minutes of waiting in the un-breaking line of cars, Jyou turned down a street off the main highway, relieved to be away from the crowd.

It had been a harrowing day indeed.There had been seven emergency operations that day, all from various car accidents.

He yawned, feeling worn out before pulling into his condominium.

_Wait a second.What am I doing?This isn't my place, _he realized.But he could have sworn he'd taken all the turns._Isn't this where Yamato lives?_

Jyou shook his head and turned the key in the ignition, starting the car.Then he saw a van pull into the parking lot.He recognized the van as Daisuke's. 

_I didn't know he was coming back this weekend, _Jyou thought.And it wasn't only Daisuke; it was Takeru, Miyako and Hikari as well.

_They must be going to see Yamato.Might as well go, too, _Jyou decided.

~*~

Takeru smiled, looking forward to seeing Yamato again.He hadn't gotten to see his older brother at Christmas because he had been out of town, so they decided to stop there first.

All four of them had agreed to go unannounced as a surprise.And Jyou had joined them in the parking lot.

"Which one is he in anyways?" Miyako wondered.

"317," Takeru replied."Here it is."He knocked on the door and waited a moment.

No answer.He tried again, but once again there was no answer.

"Takeru, maybe we should have called first," Hikari suggested.

Takeru nodded and began to back away from the door, then smiled and stated: "he gave me a key to his apartment.We can wait for him.He said he'd be in Odaiba this whole month, so he should be back soon" as he removed a key from his pocket.

It was agreed to wait in the apartment and Takeru opened the door.

The five of them walked into the apartment and closed the door behind them.

A few minutes later a shout of "YAMATO!" could be heard outside in the hall…

~*~

Koushiro absently doodled with the pencil in his hand trying to think of a topic to write for English 101.

_You wouldn't be in this predicament if you had started a week earlier like you should have, _he mentally reprimanded himself.

But it hadn't been entirely his fault.It had been an especially busy week of college for him, what with taking pretests that lasted for days.In all the excitement he had simply forgotten about the paper until this night--the night before it was due.

_This isn't something I usually do, _he thought._More like something my roommates would do._

He could hardly believe that both his roommates had finished their papers already.It was always one of them that would have to stay up night after night finishing a report or doing some reading.Never him.

And he still didn't have the slightest idea of what to write.

Koushiro sighed and looked down at the paper, now covered with pencil marks, before rubbing his temples.

He was tired.It had to be past eleven, maybe even past midnight.

For a moment he closed his eyes, allowing them to rest.Sleep tugged at him, and he felt like giving in.It was so nice to close his eyes…Relaxing…

But then he jumped in his seat and his eyes flew open.For a second he almost thought he had gone to sleep.

He looked back down to the blank paper in dismay only to find that it wasn't blank anymore.

Written on the paper was the same warning he had received one year ago, only now it was in large, scrawling letters:Watch your back, Izumi.Armageddon draws ever nearer…

~*~

_I can hear Takeru now.He's with someone else.A lot of other people.Is that Jyou?That sounds like Hikari.And that's…Miyako.And there's Daisuke._

_ _

_But why can't I see any of them?Why do they sound so far away?_

_ _

__Stop fighting it, Ishida.It will all be over for you soon.I have issued a cry for help and already reinforcements are coming.

_You again?What is going on?What do you mean "reinforcements?"_

_ _

__But his question was met with silence.

_They sound worried.But why are they worried?_

_ _

__His friend's words were coming to him garbled and disjointed.He could only catch bits and pieces of what was being said.

"Don't know……found……won't wake up…….."

A loud noise sounded, a dull thud.Then he heard Takeru shout: "Miyako!"

_What's wrong with Miyako?Someone's crying…It's Hikari.What's happening?Takeru sounds shaken up about something._

_ _

_Takeru, it's OK.I'm right here._

_ _

__The fog grew thicker for a moment, then receded.

They can't hear you.

Yamato wanted to see something.Anything.But the harder he tried the worse that awful fog became…


	4. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 3

Taichi yawned and flicked off the lights of his office in downtown Odaiba.He felt as though he could barely keep his eyes open as he locked the door and stepped into the elevator.

_I hate working overtime, _he thought._At least there won't be much traffic._

It was definitely going to be nice to go to sleep tonight.

He watched as the number above the door changed to indicate what floor he was on.It seemed to be taking so much longer than usual.

Ninth floor…Eighth…Then the numbers disappeared and the lights went out plunging the elevator into darkness.

Taichi cursed under his breath and felt the wall for the door release, but upon finding it was dismayed to find the doors were to remain clamped shut.

_What a time for a power outage, _he miserably thought.

There wasn't even a tiny beam of light for him to see inside the elevator.But that didn't keep him from noticing he wasn't the only one in the elevator.

Somebody was inside it with him and there had not been anybody else in the elevator when the lights were on.He could hear the other person breathing heavily.

"Hello?" Taichi muttered."Who's here?"

But there was no answer.And then he was not in the elevator at all…

~*~

Hikari shivered despite the heat inside the van.The past five minutes had been pure chaos.

After Yamato was found Miyako fainted.Jyou quickly checked Yamato's vital signs and confirmed that he was alive, but he seemed to be in a coma.

Jyou instructed Takeru to call an ambulance for Yamato, but just as Takeru had picked up the telephone the power went out causing the phone line to go dead.

Jyou quickly retrieved his cell phone only to find that it too was dead.

So they moved Yamato carefully into the van along with an unconscious Miyako.

And now here she sat on the way to the hospital.Miyako was in the back seat, still unconscious, leaning forward against the seat belt they had strapped her into, arms limply hanging at her sides.

Yamato was stretched out across Takeru and Hikari's laps in the middle seat and they held onto him to prevent his falling off the seat.

And then things got really strange.

Quite suddenly the van was not as large and spacious as it had been a moment before.This was due to the fact that several more people were now in the van.

Mimi, Koushiro, Taichi, Iori and Sora appeared in a large heap in the van.And the van was no longer on its way to the hospital.It was now on a back road that seemed to be out in the middle of nowhere.

"How did I get here?" Mimi wondered.

"I don't know but will you please get up?" Iori inquired, his voice muffled from the floor.He was on the bottom of the pile.

"Oh, sorry," Mimi replied, rolling off of the pile of former Digidestined's.

"Could somebody explain what is going on?" Miyako queried as she came to.

"I don't know what's going on," Daisuke responded.

All questions were quite suddenly silenced when Jyou shouted: "oh no!We're on a patch of black ice!I can't control the van!"

This exclamation brought about panic from everybody in the van.The panic became even more frantic when Sora cried: "look, the guardrail!"

The van was skidding for a guarding rail that blocked off a rather large and steep hill.

"Hold on, everyone!" Takeru shouted.

And then the van slammed against the guarding rail with a horrible crunching sound.The guardrail bent beneath the force of the van before giving way to its weight.

The van slid on its passenger side, shattering all the windows on that side.Koushiro, Mimi, Sora, Yamato, Taichi and Iori were worst off out of all of them as they had no seatbelts on.

And then the van rolled, breaking all the other windows in the process.

The noise was tremendous.And the screams were terrifying.And then the van stopped at the bottom of the hill, battered and broken, lying on its side.

~*~ 

Takeru opened his eyes and coughed.He remembered the crash immediately and realized he was still in the van.

From the looks of things he was the first awake.He noticed that somebody was on top of him preventing him from removing his seatbelt.

_It's Mimi, _he thought.

"Mimi, come on.Wake up," he whispered.There was no way he could get her off of him.

A quiet groan traveled to his ears and he recognized it as Jyou.

"Jyou, can you get out of the van?" 

"I'm not sure," Jyou replied.He undid his seatbelt and slid out of his seat."Takeru, here," he muttered as he carefully moved Mimi off of him.

Takeru thanked Jyou and also undid his seatbelt.

"We've got to get them out of here," Takeru stated as he fumbled with the door that was now on the ceiling instead of the wall.

After a moment the door yielded.Takeru was grateful they had landed on the side they had landed on, as the door on the floor was battered so badly it would never be able to open.He climbed out of the van.

"Takeru, stay there.I'm going to try and lift the others out to you so you can pull them out," Jyou instructed as he gently picked up Mimi.He noted with relief that she was mostly unharmed, save for a few minor scrapes.

Takeru pulled Mimi out of the van and then Sora.One by one all of the former Digidestined were pulled out of the van.

Luckily, nobody was critically injured, though all of them were injured in some way nonetheless.

After fifteen harrowing minutes all eleven of them were out of the van.

It was then that Takeru noticed something was in his left eye, preventing him from seeing clearly.It was blood.His blood.

Hikari's eyes fluttered for a moment before opening and she shakily sat up.

"Is everyone all right?" she inquired of Jyou and Takeru, ignoring the deep cut on her shoulder.

_Just like Hikari to worry about everyone else even though she's hurt, _Takeru thought.

"Everyone looks as though they will be physically all right," Jyou replied."But Yamato is still in the same predicament as he was before."

"Where are we?" 

Takeru shook his head, indicating he did not know.It was then he realized how bitterly cold it was.It was cold enough to snow.

And that's exactly what began to happen…

~*~

Give it up, Ishida.My dear friends are here.There is no use fighting me now.

__With that, the darkness around Yamato began to eat away at him, penetrating every part of him…


	5. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 4

Yamato opened his eyes to a world that looked like something Picasso would have painted.Things that looked a little like trees protruded from the ground, but they looked as though they were made of some kind of black metal.Not all of them were perfectly vertical, either.Many of the "trees" bent at right angles.He even saw one that was twisted into a tight spiral.

The ground wasn't always horizontal, either.At some points it was vertical and at others it was upside-down.

Other than the odd trees and ground, there was nothing.The only light in this world seemed to come from himself, and even that was somewhat faint.

It was absolutely silent.The voices of his friends no longer drifted to him by even the faintest decibel.

"H-hello?" he stammered.He was taken aback at how small and thin his voice sounded."Hello?" he repeated, sounding slightly stronger.

Hello, Ishida.

Yamato jumped, though he had been hearing the same voice for what seemed like an eternity.But now it sounded different.Stronger, more confident and above all more icily chilling.

"Who are you?Why am I here?" Yamato demanded.

Funny you should ask that.

"Quit playing around and tell me."

By no means am I "playing around."

"Why am I HERE?" Yamato repeated, the final word coming so strongly it tore through the heavy air.

Are you sure you WANT to know?

"Tell me!"

Very well.Seeing as you won't be harming me, I will tell you.

The twisted trees and plains melted away from his view to be replaced by a small office.The carpet was thick and plush, making his feet sink deeply into it.A fire burned in the hearth of a large, stone fireplace on the wall to the left of the door, casting a flickering light across the office.Directly in front of him was a desk made out of mahogany.Behind the desk an enormous high-backed chair was positioned, blocking from view whoever was sitting in it.

"Come closer, boy."

Yamato was surprised to notice that the voice didn't seem hostile and icy here.Instead it seemed warm and inviting.

Yamato obliged to the voice's request and stated: "now tell me what is going on."

"Kindly think back one year if you will.Remember a message you received in the night.Do you remember what that message said?"

"How could I ever forget?It said: Beware…Armageddon approaches…"

"Precisely.And do you remember what it was written with?"

Yamato shuddered and replied: "yes."

"What was it?"

"My--my blood," he faltered.

The voice continued: "I see you remember it well.But what you do not know is that three of your other friends also received similar messages.Those people were Hikari Kamiya, Koushiro Izumi and Daisuke Motomiya."The speaker paused for a moment before proceeding with: "but you never did find out exactly who gave you the warnings, is that not correct?"

"Yes."

"And you want to know who gave the warnings, correct?"

"Yes."

The speaker was silent for a very long time before saying: "it was I who issued those warnings.I telephoned Daisuke Motomiya.I sent the e-mails to Koushiro Izumi.I sent the note to Hikari Kamiya.And I wrote the message on your ceiling."

"But--but---how…?"

"It was simple to get your blood for that message.All I had to do was take your previous blood sample from your doctor's office."

"Who are you?"

The speaker did not answer Yamato's question, but continued speaking: "also remember a young girl of six.Excuse me, six and a half.A young girl brown hair and green eyes.Do you remember her?"

"Yes."

"What was her name?"

"It was Kitami."

"And what happened to her, Ishida?"

"She---she---"

Yamato paused, remembering Kitami's last words: "I wish I had friends…just like you…"

"She was a lonely little girl.One that wanted a friend.And she got tricked somehow by an evil force.It took control of her and---and---we--killed her.My friends and I."

"You do remember.But for the moment let us go back to the warnings.They all warned of Armageddon approaching.The next day a series of natural disasters struck Japan caused by the force that had taken control of Kitami.That was the Armageddon they were referring to, was it not?"

"I don't know…I thought so," Yamato trailed.

"What if I was to say that Koushiro Izumi received the same message he did one year ago only this night?And what if I were to tell you that Armageddon is once again approaching?"

Yamato didn't like where this conversation was heading and remained silent.

"Finally, and most importantly, what if I was to tell you that I knew what it was that took Kitami?"

"You know?"

"Not only do I know, it was I who took control of her body.And now I am getting my revenge."

Yamato's legs suddenly felt weak and he felt dizzy at the realization of what was happening.

"And I am not the only one of my kind.There are thousands--hundreds of thousands of us."

"W-what are you?" Yamato breathed.

"First I shall answer your question of where we are.We are inside your mind.Both of us.The only reason this all appears to be physical to the both of us is because you are fighting my control.As for what I am…I am a demon.And there are several more of us coming."

Yamato felt his mind beginning to wander and at the same time the office began to fade.

"No, wait!" he desperately cried.The office became clearer for a moment and the voice was continuing: "we are not the true evil.In fact, we are only an army for the all-powerful dark force."

The voice was growing fainter, but Yamato heard: "and now I am going to leave your body…"

~*~

"Jyou, get over here!Hurry!" Mimi shrieked.

She as well as the others had all woken quite some time ago and she was watching over Yamato with Takeru when it happened.

Yamato was shaking, convulsing, sweating and silently crying all at the same time.It wasn't only Jyou who came to Mimi's side; all of the others came as well.

Hikari was immediately comforting Takeru who was in shock at the moment.Takeru's face had gone pale and his legs went weak as he watched his brother suffering.

"What's wrong with him?" Miyako breathlessly inquired.

"I'm not sure," Jyou responded."Somebody has to go for help.Who is in the best condition?"

"I'll go," Iori volunteered, knowing he was the least hurt of the group.

He quickly set off through the thin layer of snow and was soon out of sight.

Seconds later, Yamato's eyes snapped open and he cried out.He was still shaking.His eyes were glassy and dull and his cries were continuous.

"Yamato!What's wrong?" Mimi asked.

"D-demons…Argh!Warnings!Noooo!" Yamato screamed.

Then he was still, eyes half-open, lips ever so slightly parted.

As soon as Yamato had stopped shouting, Daisuke's legs gave out and he crashed to the ground…

This is what most of the former Digidestined saw, but Yamato saw it differently.Once he woke up, he saw the demon for the first time.It was out of his body, but he felt weak and his thoughts were confused.He managed to shout his warning before becoming completely exhausted.

Then he saw the demon enter Daisuke's body…


	6. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 5

Iori pressed on through the snow, searching for any sign of civilization.The snow was still falling, preventing him from seeing more than a few feet in front of him and it was growing increasingly deeper; already it was up to his knees.

He had already been walking for a half hour and lost all contact with the rest of the group.He couldn't even hear them anymore.

The snow was beginning to be a hassle and Iori's muscles were beginning to burn from all the effort he was putting out to wade through it.He ignored the pain and continued on, knowing his friends were counting on him.

There was no sign of life anywhere around him; not even a light of some sort.

A vicious wind picked up, throwing icy snowflakes into Iori's face and arms.The wind itself was bitterly cold and the fact that Iori didn't have a coat made it even worse.

As he continued to force his way through the snow, his foot caught on a root buried deeply beneath the snow.The result of this was for him to go sprawling face down in the snow.

Iori tried to move his arms, but he could no longer feel them.He was cold…so cold, yet his muscles burned whenever he moved.

The snow was still cascading down and using what little energy he had left in him, Iori rolled onto his back.

He watched as the feathery white flakes wafted down from the sky, barely feeling it when they landed on his face and chest before his eyes slid closed.

~*~

"Daisuke!" Miyako exclaimed, running over to the fallen nineteen-year-old. 

Hikari walked over to Miyako's side and Takeru followed, leaning gently on her shoulder for support.

Soon, all of the able-bodied former Digidestined were at Daisuke's side.After a moment of silence, Jyou stated: "he seems to be in the same state that Yamato was in earlier."

"But what--" Taichi began, but he never finished his question because Daisuke's eyes snapped open.

"Daisuke, are you all right?" Hikari inquired.

Instead of answering, Daisuke leaped to his feet and put his hands around Hikari's neck, squeezing as hard as he could.

Hikari's eyes opened in surprise and fear and she began to choke.

"What are you doing?" Taichi shouted."Leave Hikari alone!"

Daisuke calmly turned his head toward Taichi, still cutting off Hikari's means of air.The look in his eyes surprised everybody.Gone was the friendly look in his chocolate-brown eyes.In its place was a look of pure hatred and rage.

As Daisuke looked at the others, his lips curled into a demonic smile and he squeezed Hikari's neck harder.

"Get off of her!" Takeru cried, trying to pry Daisuke's hands away from Hikari.

Taichi quickly went to aid Takeru and the two of them together managed to pull Daisuke away.Hikari gasped for air and slowly sat down clutching her neck and sobbing.

Daisuke lashed out at Takeru and Taichi, kicking both of their legs out from under them before he lunged for Takeru, pummeling his face, neck and shoulders with a rain of assaults.

Takeru struggled, trying to push Daisuke off of him, but could not.Taichi was back on his feet and with Koushiro's help held Daisuke off of Takeru.

"What are we going to do?" Mimi whimpered, watching as Daisuke violently struggled against the hold Koushiro and Taichi had on him.

"Well we've got to think of something quick!I don't think we can hold him much longer!" Taichi warned.

Jyou was already racing back to what was left of the van they had crashed in and was searching through the twisted wreckage.He soon came upon what he was looking for: a broken seatbelt.It was slightly ripped and he seized it and gave it the strongest pull he could muster, ripping the seatbelt completely out.

He ran back to the group and triumphantly held up the long, torn seatbelt.

Taichi and Koushiro continued to hold Daisuke still as Jyou tied his arms down to his sides, winding the seatbelt around him until it reached his knees.

Daisuke crashed to the ground, struggling to get out of the binds, but unable to do any damage.

"What is going on?" Takeru wondered, wiping a bit of blood from his nose.

~*~

Iori felt completely numb.He couldn't have moved his body even if he had wanted to.The snow lightly coated over him and he shivered, but was unable to move to rid himself of some of the snow.

He half-opened his eyes and looked up at the endless rain of snowflakes filtering down from thick clouds.

Then a bright, bright light began to shine, piercing through the forest.

Hello

"W-who's there?" Iori chattered.

A friend…

Iori closed his eyes tightly, except now the light was shining behind his eyelids.He felt warm and he opened his eyes to see the light surrounding him.

Then he was in a world of white…


	7. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 6

Mimi sat on the ground, knees hugged to her chest.On her left was Yamato, eyes still half-open, still lying perfectly still and on her right was Daisuke, who had finally quieted down.

As she looked over at Daisuke, he struggled feebly against his binds, then lay still again.The look she had seen earlier in his eyes had seemed to almost disappear.It was still there, but it was not as out of control, as hate-filled as it had first been.

Mimi looked back over at Yamato and sighed, wondering what was wrong with him.As she looked at Yamato, she heard Daisuke weakly whisper: "untie me.Please."

"I--I'm sorry.I can't do that," Mimi gently replied, looking back over at Daisuke.

"Please," Daisuke pleaded."Please untie me."

"Daisuke, I can't."

Daisuke looked at Mimi and let out a shuddering sigh.

Mimi felt a little guilty at this and considered untying Daisuke until he suddenly shrieked: "untie me NOW!" so forcefully it made Mimi jump.

Daisuke violently thrashed against the binds, trying his best to tear the already broken seatbelt apart.The murderous look was back in his eyes.

"Stop it, Daisuke!" Mimi cried, afraid he would hurt himself.

But Daisuke only thrashed more violently…

~*~

Iori looked around in confusion.Gone were the frosty trees and snow; in their place was nothing.He was suspended in midair and the only thing that seemed to exist was the white light.

Hello, Iori

"Who are you?Where am I?" Iori inquired of the voice he heard.He was surprised to notice he was no longer cold.

I wish I could explain myself, but even I do not understand myself completely.I will explain later.At the moment there is much to do.

"But where am I?"

That, too is difficult to explain.It is obvious you are no longer on Earth, but you are not exactly away from Earth.Please wait a moment.I will explain later.

The light increased and became blindingly bright.Iori shielded his eyes.He heard voices; familiar voices.Then he heard somebody screaming.

The light faded enough for him to open his eyes and he was shocked to see all his other friends in this strange realm as well.

Daisuke was still tied in the seatbelt and he was the one who was screaming.As Iori watched, something black left Daisuke's body and he stopped screaming and became limp.

"Where are we?" Sora wondered, looking around the vast nothingness.

Now that you are all here I can explain.

"Who are you?" Miyako inquired.

Iori noticed Yamato was looking a better; he seemed to be conscious of what was going on around him, though he was still a little distant.

I shall try and explain as best I can.Hikari, do you remember years ago what seized control of your body for a short period of time?

"A little," Hikari truthfully stated."All I really remember is that it was something light--lighter than the sun and then it's all a blank."

"I remember that," Taichi murmured."That was when we found out how we were selected to be the Digidestined."

Correct.I am glad that you remember, as that will make explaining myself much easier.I am a relative of that light force, except I am real, not computer data.

"Where are we?" Jyou questioned.

You are in a tear in time.It is far too complex for me to explain how it is possible for this to happen, so I must leave it at that.I created this temporary tear and pulled you all inside.

"Why us?" Takeru queried.

Because you know of the Dark.

"The Dark?" Iori muttered."I don't know what you mean."

The Dark--it is what inhabited Kitami and what inhabited Yamato and Daisuke.Actually, it was only a small part of the Dark, one soldier in its army--a demon.

"But--" Koushiro began.

Please allow me to finish, the voice stated.I cannot hold this tear in time for much longer.The Dark and Light are always battling one another, neither force winning and neither force losing.As long as this continues the world will continue in peace.But if the Dark becomes too powerful, horrible things begin to happen.You all witnessed an attack that the Dark made one year ago.As you can see, it is very dangerous.

The voice paused and Mimi said: "I'm sorry, but this isn't making much sense."

I didn't expect it to, the voice replied.When the world was created, two forces were instilled: Darkness and Light.They were sent to balance one another, neither being more powerful than the other.But Darkness became jealous of Light and went to war.Ever since they have been battling.The Dark has an army of demons on its side and the Light an army of angels.Demons alone are powerful, but when in a body they can use the full extent of their powers.That is why they took Kitami and that is why they attempted to take Yamato and Daisuke.Angels need no bodies to use the full extent of their powers and there fore have an advantage over the Dark.But once a demon takes a human form it becomes dangerous not only to the angels, but to the world itself.Light must triumph over Darkness to restore balance.

"What can we do about it, though?" Takeru wondered.

You have been in contact with the Dark and have survived--several times, I might add.That in itself is a sign that you are much stronger than you seem.That also means that you are now a part of this war whether you like it or not.

"What about Yamato and Daisuke?Was a demon inside of them?" Mimi wondered.

They are both free of the demon.The Demon could not pass through the tear in time with you and was returned.They shall both be all right in time.I wish I could explain more to you, but I cannot hold the tear in time any longer.Once you return to Earth I will not be able to contact you.

"Why not?" Sora inquired.

I am merely a messenger.It takes a great amount of energy to open a tear in time and an even greater amount to bring humans into it.When you return to Earth you all must travel to Quewari.You will know the gate inside when you see it.Forgive me, but you must return now.

Then the white light was suddenly gone and the eleven of them were once again back at the site of the car wreck.


	8. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 7

Things were relatively quiet after the former Digidestined returned to the crash site.The snow was very lightly sprinkling down from thick clouds, now turning a rich purple color in the final rays of the setting sun.Yamato finally regained enough strength to sit up and speak while Daisuke also showed a few signs of improvement.Although he was still unable to move or speak, he seemed to at least recognize his friends.

"Where are we supposed to go again?" Mimi inquired."I didn't quite catch it."

"Quewari, wherever that is," Iori replied.

"The only problem is that according to every single map I've ever seen Quewari is nonexistent," Koushiro added.

"How can you go to a place that doesn't exist?" Sora wondered.

"I don't know.It makes absolutely no sense, but then again a lot in our lives hasn't made much sense."

Yamato was looking far off into distance where the land met the sky in a thin line.He squinted, looking out at the horizon more carefully.Something seemed very strange about it; almost as though it was wavering.

"What are you looking at, Yamato?" Takeru inquired of his brother.

"Look out there," Yamato answered, gesturing to the horizon."Does something seem weird to you?"

Takeru looked out to the horizon far off in the distance, straining his eyes.After a couple of moments, he noticed something as well.Now whatever was making the horizon wavy was drawing nearer to them.

"Hey, everyone, look at this," Takeru shouted to the rest of the group.

"Look at what?There's nothing to see except some scattered snowflakes," Miyako said.

"No, _look,_" Takeru insisted.

Koushiro was the first to notice it."It appears to be some type of dark light," he stated.

One by one the others saw the strange light.As it drew nearer and nearer to the former Digidestined, it did not give off a sense of safety and warmth--in fact it was quite the opposite.The light was radiating icy wind and it gave off a horrible sense of foreboding.

"I don't like this," Hikari murmured.

"Lets get out of here," Mimi whispered.

Taichi nodded and added: "that's a good idea."

Koushiro looked back at the light and his stomach lurched when he realized just how fast it was moving.In the short time it had taken for them all to talk about it, the light had already closed half of the miles of distance between them.

"I don't think running will do us any good," he muttered.

Jyou also looked back at the light and added: "Koushiro is right.If it wants to catch us, there's not much we can do."

"But we can't just go down without at least trying to get away," Takeru protested.

Before another word could be spoken or a foot could be moved, the light was bearing down on them.

Hikari felt utterly cold, so cold that it was as though she was separated from her body.The landscape was gone and she was swimming in a frozen sea of nothing.

She could see Takeru, but he was so far away.

"Takeru!" Hikari screamed, but her words were swallowed by the cold.The cold, dead air seemed to cut her lungs as though she had swallowed knives and she could practically feel the blood in her veins freezing.

And then in one instant it was over.The awful feeling of being unable to breathe and move was gone.But something wasn't right.

Hikari looked around and saw she was no longer at the crash site.And she was no longer with the group, either.

"W-where am I?" she wondered aloud, turning about to get an idea of her new surroundings.

It appeared as though she was at the base of an enormous mountain--alone.Completely and absolutely alone.

Hikari had always tried to be strong, but the events of this night had finally gotten to her.She sat down and began sobbing.

~*~

Jyou felt like he was coming out of a deep pool of ice water at an incredible speed.He could barely draw a breath at all and when he did it came in a short, sharp gasp.

Then he felt a jarring sensation as his feet landed on hard ground and he was back to reality.

Seconds later, he heard somebody cry: "ouch!Get off of me!" 

Jyou looked over toward the shouts and saw that Yamato had landed on top of Miyako, knocking her over.

"Sorry," Yamato apologized as he rolled off.

"Hey, where are we?And what happened to everyone else, anyway?" Miyako inquired.

Jyou looked around and noticed for the first time that they were no longer near the wrecked car.In fact, he realized that he was on the edge of a very steep, very high cliff.

"Gah!" he shrieked, jumping back away from the precipice in surprise.

"Jyou?You're here too," Miyako stated."What is going on?"

Before Jyou could answer, Yamato said: "well, we're supposed to get to Quewari and apparently something is trying to keep us all from getting there.My guess would be it's the Dark…"


	9. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 8

Mimi looked up at the towering structure in front of her in awe.She had never seen anything like it.It was made entirely out of stone.Hundreds of arched windows stared from the walls and it was extremely tall.

"What is it, Koushiro?" she breathlessly queried of the redhead.

"It appears to be some sort of temple, but I've never seen anything quite like it."

"Should--should we--go in?"

"I'm not sure."

The two stood staring at the temple silently for a few moments before Mimi shivered and said: "it's cold.I'm going in."

She walked through the door of the temple, Koushiro close behind her.

The inside of the temple wasn't much to look at, as there was no decoration whatsoever.The only feature inside the temple was a set of stone steps.

Mimi began climbing the stairs, going up flight after flight until she reached the top.

She could see out of one of the windows and the view took her breath away.

Mountains rose and fell, looking black against a clear sky.At the bottom of every mountain was an abundance of lush vegetation that climbed part of the way up the rocky slopes.

"It's very pretty," she murmured.

Koushiro agreed and the two admired the beautiful landscape until a loud crash from beneath alerted them of the presence of someone other than themselves.

Mimi jumped and grabbed Koushiro's hand, eyes wide with fear.

"Who else could be here?" she whispered, squeezing his hand tightly.

"It may be one of our friends," Koushiro suggested.

Mimi turned this over in her mind before looking down at their still clasped hands.She blushed lightly and let go of Koushiro's hand quickly.

The sound of somebody mounting the stairs come to their ears and Mimi felt another stab of fear.

_Whoever is here is going to find us, _she thought, thoroughly hoping this would be a good thing.

~*~

Daisuke slowly got to his feet.He felt stiff all over, but that was definitely an improvement from being unable to move.He looked around and realized that Iori was the only one with him and they were near the edge of a huge canyon.The other canyon wall was visible hundreds of yards away.The only thing that connected the two drop-offs was a small rope bridge.It reminded Daisuke of a tightrope except with two ropes to hold on to as you inched across.

"Iori, what happened?" he inquired.

"Daisuke!You're up," Iori exclaimed.

"Yeah, can you tell me what happened to everyone else?"

Iori took a deep breath and said: "we're supposed to get to Quewari but some black light separated us all."

Daisuke was very confused by all this."Quewari?" he repeated."Black light?What?"

Iori told Daisuke of the tear in time, the war between Dark and Light, the messenger--everything that had happened to them from the point the demon had left Yamato and entered him.

"So the messenger didn't say anything about where Quewari is?"

Iori shook his head."Hey!What are you doing?" he shouted.Daisuke was beginning to walk closer to the edge of the cliff.

"What does it look like I'm doing?I'm going across the bridge."

"But maybe we should stay here," Iori argued."What if the others are looking for us?"

"And what if they aren't?What if they can't?"

Iori thought about this for a second and realized that there was a good chance that one of their friends was hurt.

"Lets go."

The two set off for the rope bridge.

~*~

Koushiro didn't want to say it aloud, but he seriously doubted whoever was on the stairs was one of their friends.The footfall was too heavy for anyone they knew and with every step he heard a scraping noise he couldn't quite place.

He looked at Mimi and from the look on her face he could tell she heard it, too.

"Koushiro, what is that?" she whispered.

Koushiro listened, straining his ears to hear the scraping sound a bit better.

There it was again--a thump and then a loud scrape.It sounded like a sharp rock scraping against the stone stairs.Then he knew exactly what it was--a claw.Whatever was coming up the stairs _wasn't human._

"Come on," he whispered, taking hold of Mimi's hand and leading her away from the window.

"Where are we going?"

Koushiro signaled for her to be quiet and led her behind the stairs where they both knelt.

_When whatever that thing is gets up here we'll make a run for it, _he thought._It won't be able to see us right away unless it comes up the stairs backwards._

_ _

The scraping noise was growing louder.Whatever was coming after them was drawing nearer.

Mimi was squeezing his hand so tightly it was cutting off his circulation, but he didn't care.

And then it came into view.Koushiro saw it, but he didn't believe it--until he saw the embers raining out of its mouth.It had extremely long claws at the end of each of its feet.Long, brownish-green scales covered its body and serpentine neck and head like thick armor.As he watched it spread enormous leathery wings that had hooked claws at the tips.It had spikes all down its back and long tail--which disappeared from sight as it was still mostly in the hole in the ground that led to the stairs.It was a dragon.

Mimi drew in her breath to scream and Koushiro clamped his free hand over her mouth to prevent her from alerting the dragon of their presence.

The dragon flicked its long tail out of the way of the stairs and Koushiro got to his feet.Mimi also got to her feet and Koushiro noticed that her face was white.

_No, Mimi.Don't, _he silently pleaded._Please not now._

But Mimi's knees went weak and she fainted.Koushiro caught her and picked her up.He inched past the dragon's tail, being careful to avoid stepping on it and began silently going down the stairs.Before he got to the next floor he chanced a glance up at the dragon.His heart nearly stopped--he was looking right into its eyes.

The eyes alone seemed to burn holes into him.Embers were flitting down the steps and one of them hit the hand he was holding Mimi with.He almost dropped her, but he forced himself to hold on.

And then he was out of his trance and running down the stairs.

_Almost there, _he thought as he saw the first floor.But he felt something hot behind him.He looked up to see a huge fireball hurtling toward him and Mimi.

Koushiro ran faster, but the fireball was moving at an incredible speed.In his haste he tripped and fell off the stairs for the final five feet.The fireball hit the ground where he would have been and exploded.

He was still holding on to Mimi and he raced out of the temple.

_We made it, _he thought.

His stomach lurched when he heard a crash behind them.He turned and saw the dragon exploding forth out of the top of the building.Huge pieces of stone from the roof flew outward and the dragon spread its huge wings.Now that it was in the open it looked ten times bigger than it had when it was when it had been inside.The dragon bolted after them and Koushiro ran as fast as he possibly could while still holding on to Mimi.

He could see a small cave, but it was so far away and the dragon was getting nearer and nearer to the every second.

With a final burst of speed, he made it to the cave.Moments later the dragon was at the entrance, ramming the opening violently.

Koushiro backed as far away as he could from the opening and pressed his back against the cave wall, only able to watch as the dragon inhaled, gathering itself to blow its fire into the cave, readying itself to fry them both to a crisp…

~*~

Iori looked down into the canyon._That's a long drop, _he thought._I hope that bridge is safe._

"Iori, come on!" Daisuke shouted.He was already making his way across the rope bridge.

Iori grabbed hold of one of the support ropes and balanced both feet on the single rope stretched between him and a very long drop.

He resisted the urge to look down and held onto the safety rope tightly as he slowly walked across the bridge.

The two of them made it all the way across with no mishaps only to see that they were in the middle of a desert.

"Do you hear something?" Iori inquired, furrowing his brow.He could swear he heard a thundering noise from far off in the distance.

Daisuke listened for a moment and replied: "yeah.It sounds like--like--horses."

"Horses?" Iori repeated.

"Iori, have you ever watched one of those old westerns where there are a whole bunch of people on horses?It sounds exactly like that."

Iori listened more carefully.It _did_ sound like horses.He looked up and saw hundreds of horses from far off approaching them.

"Should we run?" Iori questioned.

"Not yet.I want to see who they are," Daisuke answered.

The thundering noise of the horse's hooves became louder and louder.The people were much closer now.

After a couple of minutes the horses finally reached them.The man who seemed to be the leader was shirtless and his face, neck and chest were a dark tan partly from the sun and partly from heritage.

His hair was dark and his eyes were wild.And he was holding a spear--pointed directly at Daisuke and Iori along with all the other members of his group…


	10. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

(A/N: Just warning you all, I've got a serious case of writer's block so don't expect anything really big for a while in this story.It will get more exciting sometime, I promise!)

Second Cry--Chapter 9

The dragon raised its head as it inhaled and for a moment Koushiro lost sight of its face.Then he saw its neck lowering, the head coming forward and he knew what would be coming next.

He shifted the still unconscious Mimi so she was behind him, hoping to perhaps protect her from the blast of fire that would soon surround them.Then he watched as the head that breathed the deadly fire descended as though in slow motion.

"Foul beast!Let them alone or prepare to face thy maker!" a voice from outside the cave.

_What the…? _Koushiro wondered._Who could…_

_ _

He heard a horse whinnying and a clanking noise like metal on metal.

"Didst thou not hear me?" came the confident voice again."I repeat: let them alone or prepare to face thy maker!"

Koushiro noticed with relief that the dragon had raised its head away from the hole._Who could be stupid enough to try and order a dragon around?_

The next instant a horrible shrieking noise pierced through the air and Koushiro clamped his hands over his ears, trying to block out the awful noise.He could see a thick black liquid raining down in front of the cave entrance and tried not to think of what it could be.

Seconds later he saw the dragon collapse in a pool of the oil-like liquid.He knew what the liquid was now whether he had wanted to know or not.Some of it was dribbling out of a large wound in what appeared to be the dragon's chest.It was undeniably dead.

"Thou would do well to come out of thy hiding," the voice directed.

Koushiro picked up Mimi and walked out of the cave hoping that whoever was their rescuer was friendly.

_Who could kill a dragon like that?_

The first thing he saw when he left the cave was a huge black horse.It was standing with its head raised majestically and it pawed the ground, obviously bored by the events that had just come about.

"Direct thy eyes here," came the voice.It was on his right.

Koushiro was definitely not prepared to see what he saw when he turned to his right.

"Is this a joke?" he inquired of the man before him.

"It is no joke, that I can assure you," came the man's reply.

"Then that would mean you're a---a---" Koushiro was unable to finish his statement so the man did for him: "a knight?"

Koushiro nodded.

"I am Sir Hackett of King Arthur's Court."

Koushiro swallowed and weakly inquired: "what is the year?"

"The year is 685.Now we must get back into King Arthur's Kingdom, as dragons are still afoot.Place the maiden on my stead if you will."

~*~

Daisuke stared at the group of nearly one hundred armed men nervously.

"_Now _we should get out of here," he hissed to Iori.But before either of them could move the leader had placed the tip of his spear at Daisuke's throat.All he had to do was twitch his hand and Daisuke would be dead.

Three burly men were approaching Iori and Daisuke, two of them holding long coils of rope.The leader said something that neither Daisuke nor Iori could understand and the two men rushed at them.

Iori ducked away from the men with the ropes and the leader shouted while pressing the sharp spear against Daisuke's throat.Daisuke backed up only to be met with another spear jabbing him in the back.The man repeated whatever he had said, this time more forcefully.

"What is he saying?" Iori muttered.

"My guess would be either you let them tie you up or he'll gore me!" Daisuke shouted as he felt the spear in his back jabbing harder.

One of the men with a rope came at Iori again and Iori didn't move as his hands then feet were bound together.Daisuke sighed in relief when the spears were removed from his neck and back, but soon he was in the same predicament.

Now defenseless, Daisuke and Iori were lifted onto the back of one of the horses and they were soon riding away.

After a couple of minutes of silent riding, Daisuke muttered: "so what do you think they'll do to us?"

"Judging by the way they've been acting they don't want to kill us, but I don't think we should do anything to upset them," Iori whispered back.

The leader turned back to them and growled another remark they could not understand.

"You don't think they're…cannibals do you?" Daisuke haltingly inquired.

"I hope not…"

The man on the horse behind them poked Iori and Daisuke lightly with his spear and repeated what the leader had barked at them.

"Guess we're not supposed to talk…" Daisuke muttered.

~*~

"Takeru, please tell me you see an Aztec temple," Taichi whispered to the younger man.

"I see it, but I don't believe it," Takeru muttered back.

"This is unbelievable," Sora added.

The trio was looking directly at an Aztec temple.And it wasn't the ruins that would be seen in a textbook at a school.It was in perfect condition.Plus, people were walking about outside the temple.

They were so absorbed in staring at the temple they didn't notice the almost soundless footfall of two Aztecan warriors approaching them from behind.

In little under a minute all three of them were unconscious and the Aztecans were dragging them off toward the village…

~*~

Hikari was still sobbing, her shoulders heaving.

_I've got to stop this, _she thought._All this crying isn't going to help anybody._

She sniffled and wiped her red eyes, coughing from all the crying she had done.In the silence she faintly heard somebody shout: "Hikari!"

Immediately she looked around, trying to see who was calling her name.She waited a moment and heard it again: "Hikari!"

It sounded like Jyou.

"Jyou?" she ventured.

"Hikari, stay there!" came a reply.This time it was Yamato.

"Yamato?Where are you?" she shouted.

"Hikari, we're coming!Just a sec!" Miyako replied.

Hikari waited for Yamato, Jyou and Miyako to join her, happy not to be alone anymore but worried for the others that were unaccounted for…


	11. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon so please refrain from suing me for writing fan fiction.Thanks and enjoy!

Second Cry--Chapter 10

When Takeru opened his eyes the first thing he noticed was a throbbing pain in the back of his head.The next thing he noticed was that he was on a hard, cold floor.He sat up, ignoring the pain that pulsed through his head and looked around.

He saw Taichi and Sora, both still unconscious lying a short distance away from him in the dim light provided by windows carved into the wall.Technically, they weren't exactly windows--there was a series of thin slits that allowed a very small amount of sunlight to filter into the odd room they were in.The walls were made of stone--very thick stone.A low pedestal was in the center of the large room and Takeru could see an assortment of different fruits on top of the smooth pedestal surface.Half a loaf of a dark loaf of bread sat next to the fruit.Other than these few simple features the room was devoid of any detail.

Once he had taken it all in he heard a slight moaning and turned back to his fallen friends.He watched as Sora's eyelids fluttered before slowly opening.She sat up and looked about the room, her eyes taking in every bit of it.

"So they got us," she muttered.

"Who?The Aztecs?" a groggy voice from beside her inquired.

"I think so, Taichi," Takeru replied.

There was a pause and Sora wondered aloud: "what are they going to do?"

"This looks like a prison cell," Takeru contemplated."If that's the case then we're prisoners."He stopped talking for a moment and furrowed his brow.He felt like there was something he should know that he did not."Wasn't there something the Aztecs did to their prisoners that was…weird?"

After a couple of minutes of quiet thinking, Taichi cried out: "I know what it is!They---they sacrificed them."

"Sacrificed?" Sora repeated, her face paling.

Takeru nodded, knowing what Taichi said to be true."Sacrificed," he confirmed."As in heart cut out, dead."

~*~

"I have told thee who I am, now kindly do the same for me," Sir Hackett demanded."Be thee friend or foe of King Arthur the great?"

"Friend!" Koushiro quickly blurted.He knew it was a bad idea to say he was against this person's king.They had a sword and he did not.

"And what be thy names?" 

Koushiro considered making up names for him and Mimi, but decided against it and stated: "I'm Koushiro Izumi and she's Mimi Tachikawa."

"Izumi?Tachikawa?Thou art not of royalty," Sir Hackett said."Why hast thou traveled so far from King Arthur's Kingdom with this fine maiden?Surely thou must know of the dragons, pray tell?" 

"Oh, right…About that…" Koushiro trailed, at a loss for words.The question had caught him off guard."We were just…coming back from a neighboring kingdom," he lied.

"King Arthur would not send a commoner to a different kingdom."

"We're…his…negotiators," Koushiro slowly explained.

"Who art thou truthfully?Thou cannot be from King Arthur's Kingdom."

Koushiro could think of no way to get out of this predicament and kept silent.

"Thou art a spy," Sir Hackett accused.

"No!"

"Where art thou from if thou come from neither King Arthur's Court or from an enemy?"

"I---" Koushiro trailed off, unable to think of an explanation that would not raise more questions.

_Should I take Mimi, get off the horse and run? _He wondered._But he's got a horse.Plus, there could be more dragons out there._

_ _

The knight was still looking at him accusingly.In fact, he was so busy looking at Koushiro he failed to notice the low-hanging branch.Before Koushiro could say a word the branch had knocked Sir Hackett off the horse.He fell to the ground with a clunk.Koushiro felt as though his body was moving by itself.He didn't really _want _to steal the horse, but he needed to get away from the knight.The next thing he knew he was holding onto the horse's reins and they were galloping away.After he made sure Mimi wouldn't fall off the horse, he came to a startling realization: he wasn't exactly sure how to use the reins.In fact, he'd never ridden a horse before in his life!

~*~

Miyako looked at Hikari, eyes full of concern.Once they had finally gotten to her, Hikari had quite suddenly gone slack-jawed, her eyes blank, shoulders sagging.

"Hikari?Come on, snap out of it," Yamato muttered, waving his hand in front of her face.

Hikari didn't even blink.

"Come on, not now!" Jyou cried.

Then Hikari's body glowed with a bright white light and she murmured: "your friends are in trouble.The gate to Quewari has been locked and your friends have been scattered through different times.You must find the key to the gate to restore your friends to the correct time.The key to the gate is hidden in a cave in these mountains and the cave itself is within walking distance of where you stand now."

"Whoa…" Miyako muttered."Uh…is it just me or is Hikari glowing and talking in a totally different voice?"

"What do you mean I'm glowing?" Hikari inquired.She was now completely back to normal.

Jyou told Hikari what had happened--about how she had told them of their friends being scattered throughout time and finding the key to Quewari."

"So where is the cave anyway?" Miyako wondered.

Yamato looked about for the cave that Hikari had mentioned and spotted it only about a half-mile away--but it was across a huge chasm.The only way to get to the cave was to cross a very thin, very narrow and overall unsafe-looking natural bridge between the two cliff edges…

~*~

Taichi didn't bother to struggle against the guard that had led him from the large cell along with Takeru and Sora.He knew that if he managed to escape this guard there would be plenty more awaiting him.

He saw the huge temple looming over the city and his stomach churned thinking what was awaiting him and his friends.People lined the streets, watching them as they were herded by on their walk to death. 

After what seemed like only seconds to him they were climbing the steps of the temple, climbing up and up.The further up the climbed the more slippery the stairs became and Taichi felt sick when he realized what was making the steps slippery: blood.Blood from all the past sacrifices.

He felt like just letting himself fall backwards, down the hundreds of stairs.Dying like that had to be better than getting your heart literally torn out.But he knew the guards wouldn't allow that to happen.

_I wonder…can you feel it when they cut your heart or are you already dead?Is it quick or do you stay alive until it's all over?I can't believe I'm thinking about this._

Then they were at the top of the steps.A man stood beside a huge stone table, a large, sharp knife in his hand.Taichi guessed this was the guy who would be killing them.

He watched as Takeru was herded over to the table and held down until he was securely tied.Sora was sobbing in fear and in grief of what was happening to her friend.

The man raised the knife high in the air…

~*~

Daisuke and Iori stood untied looking at the long pit of red-hot coals in the ground in front of them.

"So what are we supposed to be doing?" Iori wondered.

"I still say they're cannibals and this is their barbeque pit," Daisuke muttered back.

Iori shook his head and replied: "if they were cannibals they would have killed us by now."

A sharp spear prodded Daisuke in his back and he almost fell into the coals.He turned around to the person who had poked him, gave him a nasty look and turned back to Iori.

"See?" he said.

Iori gasped and said: "they're not cannibals!I know what they want us to do."

"Well what is it?"

"They want us to walk across the coals.It was a test of strength and bravery."

Daisuke looked down at the glowing coals and winced.He could feel the heat from them already and had no desire to burn his feet.But another jab from the spear prompted him to lift his foot.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered…

~*~

Koushiro held onto the reins trying desperately to figure out how to use them.Things weren't getting much better.They were making a beeline for a very large drop and he knew the horse wouldn't be able to jump across.

They were getting closer and closer."Um…Stop," Koushiro muttered."No wait, whoa!"

_It always worked in the movies, _he dejectedly thought as the horse continued to gallop for the cliff.

"Hey!Stop!Horse, stop!"

They were only feet away from the cliff now.

"STOP!"

~*~

"I don't like this.It doesn't look safe," Jyou said, referring to the small bridge between the two cliff faces.

"Well it's the only choice we've got.And if our friends are in trouble we have to hurry," Yamato replied, balancing himself on the narrow walkway and carefully beginning the long walk across.

"Yamato, be careful," Miyako warned.The walkway was so narrow and it was such a long way to the other side.

Hikari waited until Yamato had gone a third of the way across the small rock bridge before climbing on herself.

"Hikari, wait!" Jyou shouted, trying to stop her from putting herself in danger.But she was already on her way across.Jyou sighed and climbed up after her, being careful to keep his footing.

"What happened to 'it's not safe?'" Miyako muttered, also stepping onto the bridge.She shuffled her feet a couple of inches, careful not to allow herself to fall.

_I could be a tightrope walker.That's nothing compared to this, _she thought._Yamato's already done and I'm halfway there._

Without thinking, Miyako looked down.It was a long drop to the jagged rocks below.A very long drop.She felt a little dizzy and stopped moving, afraid to even breathe, lest she unbalance herself and fall.Finally, she let out the breath she had been holding and continued on her way across.She jumped the last three feet onto the other side of the chasm and looked back to see the bridge collapsing.

"That was close," Jyou muttered.

The four of them walked into the cave.It was pitch black in the cave--nothing was visible at all.

"Let's start looking for the key," Yamato said."And let's stay together, too."

The four of them joined hands and walked through the darkness, Yamato in the lead.He kept one hand on the cave wall so they wouldn't get lost.

"It's so quiet," Hikari finally commented."Too quiet."

"Yeah.This place is definitely strange," Jyou agreed.

They went through a maze of passageways in the dark, feeling their way blindly through gaps sometimes no wider than a few feet until they finally turned a corner and were bathed in an extremely bright light.

Once their eyes had adjusted to the light, they saw what was causing the light: a large key that was floating above a small table in the middle of the cavern.A few yards behind the table was an enormous gate made of millions of different kinds of metals intricately formed into exquisite bars.There was a keyhole for the key.

You aren't getting to Quewari until you go through me, a cold voice whistled.

"I knew this was too easy," Miyako mumbled.

"Somebody get the key!" Jyou shouted.

Yamato ran for the table, but a shadow crossed the light and rammed into him, sending him flying back into the cave wall.

The Dark will not allow you to ruin his plans.

Jyou made an attempt to reach the table, but was also thrown back by the light, but instead of hitting the cave wall he hit Yamato who was just getting to his feet from the previous attack.

"Hikari, if we both go separate ways we'll have a better chance at getting the key.You go right I'll go left," Miyako whispered.

Hikari nodded and whispered back: "all right, let's go!"

The two of them raced in the opposite directions for the key.

"Hikari, watch out!" Miyako warned.

Hikari jumped aside as the shadow came at her and Miyako made it to the table.She closed her fingers around the key and felt a warm tingling sensation spread through her.

Then in the same instant Koushiro, Mimi, Sora, Taichi, Takeru, Daisuke and Iori all appeared in the cavern, all looking somewhat frazzled.

"No time to explain!Look out!" Hikari shouted.

The shadow was swooping toward the group of seven former Digidestined.All were able to move out of the way (even Mimi, who had finally regained consciousness) thanks to Hikari's warning.

Miyako raced over to the gate open it, but the shadow was after her now."Takeru, catch!" she shouted, throwing the key over to him before the shadow reached her.

You're playing monkey in the middle with me and I don't like being a monkey.I won't have you ruining the Dark's plans!

The shadow flew for Takeru, but Takeru passed it off to Jyou who in turn passed the key to Sora.

Make it easy on yourselves and give up the key.

"Never!" Mimi shouted, throwing the key to Yamato--who was standing right next to the locked gates.

Yamato caught the key and put it into the lock.

NO! The shadow screamed, racing across the cavern for Yamato, but Yamato turned the key and the gates swung open.

You will never survive!This is only the beginning! The shadow warned.

The eleven former Digidestined stepped through the gates to Quewari, not hearing a word that the Dark force said…

END

(A/N: Yes, I am writing a sequel.It will be called The Test.I'm writing one more after that, too.Anyways, thank you so much to everyone who was nice enough to review this!You are what keep me going!I hope you enjoyed it.)


End file.
